


Vulnerability

by bravest_person_in_Wonderland



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I love my boys, No beta we die like mne, They love each other, bc it's Jack's POV, but i was thinkimg about it the whole time, but platonically imo, this is not truth about the moon related
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28659084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravest_person_in_Wonderland/pseuds/bravest_person_in_Wonderland
Summary: after the rally and his talk with Katherine, Jack seeks Davey out.
Relationships: David Jacobs & Jack Kelly
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Vulnerability

**Author's Note:**

> I know I said I would write fluff soon, but I got hit with a bit of hypochondria last night and couldn't sleep, so this happened instead. 
> 
> platonic Jack/Davey is one of my absolute favorite dynamics, in case you couldn't tell XD

"I watched it happen," he snaps at Davey on the rooftop of the Jacobses' apartment building. 

He's desperate to fix this, to earn forgiveness, to get Dave to look at him the way he'd been doing the last couple days before the rally, the way that made him feel like he wasn't alone. Now Davey's eyes look back at him, guarded and mistrusting and confused and hurt. Jack hates hurting people, hates himself for hurting Davey and all the other boys with his betrayal. He doubts he's doing a very good job of explaining, but Davey isn't yelling at him and that's a good sign. 

"I watched 'em take him," he repeats, feeling once again that ache that had been sitting in his chest since losing Crutchie. It was like he couldn’t breathe. "I watched 'em beat my little brother who I'd do anythin' for with his own crutch and I stood there and I did nothin', like a coward. 'Cause I was- I's scared, Dave." 

Ugh, vulnerability. He's spent so long in charge, protecting his kids both physically and emotionally, and that meant that he couldn't show them weakness. They couldn't see how scared and broken their leader was because then _they_ would be scared, he'd seen it happen on the few times he'd lost his cool. The only person he was even remotely open with was Crutchie, but somehow David Jacobs had gotten to him. 

It was then that Davey softened, the same way he had that first day selling when they'd nearly started talking about Jack's lack of family. It was like a switch flipping and Jack wondered, based on his own personal experience, if what happened wasn't Davey's soft, soft heart fracturing a little bit for a guy he barely knew. He was a gentler soul than anybody Jack had met in a long time, not hardened and broken by a life of loss and hardship, and his presence was like magnetism. 

"I'm sorry," Jack says, somewhere in the back of his mind knowing that he's rambling, but the words are spilling out now and he can't stop them and he doesn't know if he even should. "They said they was gonna take ya, all of yous, and I couldn't let any of ya go through what I did in there if I could help it." 

He hates knowing that everything he suffered in the Refuge at the hand of Snyder and his goons, Crutchie was experiencing right now. That was his kid, his brother, and oh god, he'd failed him so badly. He'd failed everybody when he ditched the strike, though, maybe unforgiveably. The memory of Davey's hollow, betrayed expression and the fear and confusion he saw when he briefly made eye contact with Race flashed in his mind. They had trusted him, and he'd broken that. 

"I'm sorry," he says again, feeling redundant. But it needs to be said, probably even more than this, despite the unsteadiness in his voice. 

He squeezes his eyes shut, turns his head away and prays that Dave'll forgive him, because otherwise he doesn't know what he'll do. He needs Davey, and not just to help beat Pulitzer. He needs him to be his friend. Dave is his verso, and he's Davey's; they're like complimentary colors. He knows it's selfish but he doesn’t know if he can stand losing that barely-begun friendship. 

"I know," Davey mutters. "I just... geez, why can't I stay mad at you?" He takes a step closer, a mirthless chuckle slipping past his lips before he falls silent again for several long moments. "Jack-" 

Jack realizes that he's crying in the same moment that he registers Dave's hand on his face, brushing the single tear away with a thumb. He's done that before, wiped his kids' tears away, but he doesn't think anyone's ever done it for him. The unfamiliar yet inexplicably comforting touch causes him to freeze, and his eyes flick open to meet Davey's in surprise. 

Dave pulls back, an uncertain look on his face. 

"Sorry," he says quickly, "Habit. Les-" 

Jack cuts him off with a nod. God knows he doesn't mind, even though this whole _vulnerability_ thing was extremely difficult and awkward to navigate. He suddenly realizes that this is the second time tonight that he's been on the receiving end of seemingly unconditional affection, thinking back to his conversation with Katherine on the rooftop. It feels good, not being the one to give so much of himself to take care of others. Again, he feels selfish, but being cared for is an unfamiliar thing and it absolutely wrecks him. 

He and Davey are both brothers. It's in different ways, different circumstances, but he's seen the way Dave looks after Les and it's familiar, reminds him of how he takes care of his kids. And it seems like, in some ways, both of their protective instincts -- and Jack thinks on Davey's part in particular, the nurturing ones -- extend to each other, as well. 

Davey looks at him for a minute, thinking, then suddenly but still tentatively opens his arms, and Jack can't fight. He hugs him back, all but melting into the warm embrace as Davey's arms wrap around him and stay there, forgiveness and comfort embodied. 

"Gosh, Jack, when was the last time someone really hugged you?" Dave mutters after a long minute, finally pulling away and stepping back. 

"'Bout two hours," Jack says back, "But it was a little more'n that, too." 

"I'm not gonna ask what that means." 

"Kath-" 

"Yeah." 

They're silent for just a moment before they look at each other again and Davey laughs a little bit, and once he laughs then so does Jack, and it's good. Everything's good. They're okay, Dave doesn't hate him, and everything's going to be fine if they can just get an upper hand on Pulitzer. 

It doesn't take much convincing after that to get Davey in on Katherine's plan. They walk to the Manhattan lodging house in the middle of the night, guided only by the light of a moon that looks almost as big as it must in Santa Fe. A few of the boys almost throttle Jack when they see him, but after another explanation and apology and some more tears from a couple of the kids, he thinks everything might be okay there too. Race throw his arms around Jack's neck and doesn't let go for a long time, which makes three of the best, most loving hugs Jack has had in a long time, all in the space of a few hours. He prays that Crutchie can be the fourth. 

When Davey tells him _it's good to have you back_ and looks at him with that softness in his eyes again, he replies with _shut up_ because he's already been vulnerable enough for one night, and they've got work to do. But he hopes that Davey knows, along with Katherine and Race and the rest of the boys, and so blessedly soon, Crutchie, that he's never felt so loved.

**Author's Note:**

> if you were wondering, yes, the "verso" and "complimentary colors" bit was a shameless Les Mis reference. y'all just wish you could have seen my face when I realized I could use that description (from Grantaire's introductory passage, in case you haven't read the Brick, speaking about him and Enjolras) in reference to Jack and Davey ;) 
> 
> comments, as always, are more than welcome! :)


End file.
